The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seafood, vegan brisket, mead arrive this year inmetro area
In a year often marked by sadness, we’re all seeking something to which we can look forward. Set to make their metro Atlanta debut before the end of the year, here are some food and beverage spots that will have offfffffffffferings ranging from crab cake hash and Reuben baos to sparkling mead and craft cocktails, to keep you sated and hopeful for a better 2021. Opening dates are subject to change.
■ 5/ 4 Meadery. Still and sparkling versions of the fermented honey drink mead will be on offffffffffffer when this meadery opens in Roswell. Named for the 5/ 4 time signature in music, it will be a
It would be a chance to promote their work and engage with readers.
Most happy hour ideas are forgotten as soon as the buzz fades, but this one stuck. Launched in April, Friends and Fiction has amassed 22,000 Facebook followers so far, and its growing archive of weekly author interviews has been viewed by tens of thousands of people at FriendsandFiction. com. There’s also a newsletter, a podcast and occasional Sunday bonus episodes.
“It’s been such a pleasure and an enriching experience to realize the reading community is really out there,” says Henry. “And they were looking for community as much as we were.”
Every Wednesday at 7 p. m., the founding authors — who include Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Mary Alice Monroe — alternate hosting the conversation with a guest author such as Lisa Wingate, Kristin Hannah or Delia Owens. The dialogue is casual and intimate, affording readers the opportunity to witness, for instance, Karin Slaughter’s bawdy humor or Emily Giffin’s vulnerability. And each session includes a writing tip from the visiting luminary.
In addition, each week a different independent bookstore is promoted.
“One of the first things we said was, ‘ We’ve got to find a way to keep these indie bookstores alive,’” says Andrews. “They’re the lifeblood of authors like us. Certainly, Amazon and Barnes and Noble
don’t need us. We need those indies, and the indies need us. That was a big part of it.”
An added benefit of the endeavor is that it helped solidify a supportive alliance among the authors. When the pandemic first hit, lack of focus was a common complaint among writers, but not the founders of Friends and Fiction. They initiated what they called “writing sprints,” a daily email prompt that challenged everyone to write every day. As a result, Andrews, who boasts a streak of 130 uninterrupted writing days, says she turned in her next book before deadline for the first time in her career.
When asked what she attributes her productivity to, Andrews says, “I think, honestly, there’s nothing else to do. I have a concentration I haven’t had before because I can’t go anywhere and also having the support of the others, too.”
Her next book, “The Newcomer,” which comes out in May, follows the adventures of a woman whose quest to solve her sister’s murder leads her to a run- down motel on the Florida Gulf Coast.
Andrews isn’t the only one who’s been burning up the computer keyboard.
Henry’s next book is “Surviving Savannah,”
a historical novel about a luxury steamship that sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1838. It comes out in March.
“Between us, we’ve all completed and handed in books,” Andrews says. “Kristin Harmel is in final throes of her first draft. When she hands that book in next week, all five of us will have completed books for summer 2021.”
Andrews and Henry admit that Friends and Fiction is a lot of work, but it’s a passion project they’re committed to producing through summer 2021 at least.
“It’s a true labor of love,” says Henry.
Upcoming guests include Caroline Leavitt (“With or Without You”), Nov. 11; J. T. Ellison (“Good Girls Lie”) and Hank Phillippi Ryan (“The First to Lie”), Nov. 18; Sue Monk Kidd (“The Book of Longings”),
Nov. 25; and Nathalie Dupree (“Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits”), Nov. 29.
And although it’s not technically a Friends and Fiction event, the authors will interview Fannie Flagg for the book launch of her “Fried Green Tomatoes” sequel, “The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop,” at 7 p. m. Nov. 12. Page and Palette bookstore in Fairhope, Alabama, hosts, and tickets are $ 28, including a copy of the book.
For details go to www. pageandpalette. com or call 251- 928- 5295.
“We’re just as stunned as anybody else,” Andrews says about the success of Friends and Fiction. “All we wanted to do in the beginning was figure out a way to get our books out into the world. To think it all started with a rosé happy hour.”